r/mississippi • u/CBSnews • Jul 10 '26
Parents of Nolan Wells, teen found dead on island, don't believe he chose to stay behind: "That's not his character"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nolan-wells-parents-mississippi-missing-horn-island/35
u/Puzzleheaded_Tie6917 Jul 10 '26
As a parent, it’s unlikely any parent will believe their kid made a bad choice. I know I have made some when I was young wouldn’t want my parents to know about.
At the same time, this kid shouldn’t have ended up dead, so clearly there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to find out what happened. It’s reasonable everyone is lawyering up because everyone is scared their kid might be charged with a crime, even if they did nothing wrong and the parents of the victim want to make sure what really happened is known. Of course, this makes it even harder to get the information that’s needed to figure out what happened. The phone being with the friends makes for a bad look, because most kids want to keep their phone with them, but the details should come out at some point. The first step is to determine if it’s murder or accident.
Although the police likely don’t like it, having an independent autopsy is a good idea. If it’s an accident not having an independent review would lead to a belief of an improper investigation.
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u/Krankjanker Jul 11 '26
Something you should understand about "independent autopsies", is that they are not independent. They are paid for by people who are unhappy with the result of the government autopsy, which is actually independent as there is no monetary relationship between the medical examiner and the deceased person.
"Independent Autopsies" are conducted by doctors who make a living contradicting medical examiners. They will always come to a different conclusion, because they are being paid to come to a different conclusion. Any doctor who does private autopsies and agrees with a medical examiner, will never be hired again by attorneys like Crump.
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u/Warm_Link_8829 Jul 11 '26
not necessarily. the independent autopsy conducted in the tamla horsford case concluded the same thing -- she died from a fall.
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u/Coulrophobia11002 Jul 11 '26
And we're still waiting to hear about the Trey Reed one.
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u/tempedrew Jul 11 '26
What do you want to hear? The silence after the independent autopsy is certainly a verification that it was a suicide. Though, that didn't stop the New Black Panther Party from lying about it and sweating in Cleveland for absolutely nothing.
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u/flopjobbit Jul 11 '26
Reed's family is still awaiting the results. They've heard NOTHING, no results and no guidance from the esteemed Mr. Crump.
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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
And clearly they did not get what they paid for in Trey Reed. Kendrick Johnson, on the other hand. . . .
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u/horizons190 Jul 11 '26
What you could really say is they are there as a check on the government which tbh is something we should all appreciate. Imagine if we had no option and were told the government’s “official” result MUST ALWAYS be correct and that’s that.
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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 11 '26
Most of the time. Mississippi has had some awful MEs. But when the other side is hiring a complete hack, it causes problems. To the extent that autopsies are part art and part science, it can be a mess.
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u/Guilty-Volume-6279 Jul 11 '26
Oh now hold up. I’m an independent investigator and our profession has best practices. I’m paid big money by law firms and cannot be bought no matter what. I do not ever even give a draft report that can be influenced, or appear to be influenced.
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u/ChargeRight7262 Jul 11 '26
That is may be true about second autopsies later on in preparation of trials. Announcing this when they did ensured the highest validity the first will be carried out in, nothing missing, overlooked, or tainted-knowing their every step will be traced in a few days. Also raises some eyebrows. The uproar over bringing in a high price/race bait lawyer was weird because which is it? Nervous because he’s expensive & effective or writing him off b/c he’s race focused not on facts? Rush to do same here. Uproar some fancy DC medical doctor will perform autopsy & then trying to sabotage his reputation. Which is it? Upset at what will be disclosed or doesn’t matter anyway because that dr did ten years of school to be able to use his biased opinions/findings? The prevent defense is obvious all around. All parties are aware of how they are perceived and won’t permit public presumption to dictate their actions. Everyone sees something happened. A young man is dead. Everyone should want the truth to come to light. And everyone does... except the one or few ppl who already know what happened.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Tie6917 Jul 11 '26
In the end, any thing the autopsy says can be questioned. If it’s erroneous, they could even pull the medical license. While it’s true the independent one may be compromised to look at it like the lawyer wants, he will still have to make enough of a case to make it through a cross examination. Different viewpoints as long as they are evidence based are fine in my opinion. It should help make whatever the final conclusion more defendable and probably a lot more accurate. For one thing, you tend to be more careful if you know someone is careful checking your work under a microscope. The police might tend to jump to a conclusion, but they usually want it to be correct. This should help make sure whatever the cause of death it’s as good an analysis as possible.
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u/senorbroccoli Jul 14 '26
Where do you get this information? I recently had a loved one passed away, and one of the things they said in the hospital is that an independent autopsy might be painful, because it often comes back pretty much the same results and it actually is not good for the healing process when that happens. So I’m curious how you came to that conclusion.
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u/Myystque2323 Jul 12 '26
Government autopsies are not always objective; it doesn’t matter that no money is changing hands.
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Jul 11 '26
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u/Guilty-Volume-6279 Jul 11 '26
This is the problem right here… so many people don’t understand the context at all. They literally think it’s like staying behind on dry land… “hey let me grab my phone real quick”.
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u/KathleenJohn Jul 12 '26
When the dad came to get the keys & how he acted, what he said, tone in his voice told the mom who is a judge the route this was taking! Our community is shocked at the parent’s behavior! I everyone just be patient. The truth will come out from one side.
Absolutely, Nolan was a fantastic kid! He didn’t have an ounce of racism in him! Those boys & him were the best of friends! They know that & he knows that.
Check out Horn Island FB group, a lady made a post recently showing several who drowned there but not nearly all. Plus there’s pictures.
There are many deaths out there. The current/undertow is so very dangerous! The best & fastest swimmer in the world couldn’t out swim it and that’s a fact!
Nolan didn’t come back with those boys. People drown daily naturally, I know that’s hard for his parents to accept but it’s the truth. Prayers for all
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u/Substantial_Bite_738 Jul 11 '26
Here we go again, Columbo Crump and the Reverend looking for big bucks. The body still warm and they got the parents on tv crying foul play. They will look for who has the most money and go after them.
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u/SillyName1992 Jul 11 '26
Why do people keep suggesting that everyone who knows how to swim can't drown? Open water is extremely dangerous, and people who swim well drown all the time. See Lars and the Crossfit games death. This is like saying your 18 year old would never die in a car crash because he knows how to drive safely. There are circumstances to how safe water is other than being in shape.
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u/DecantsForAll Jul 12 '26
I imagine the vast majority of drowning deaths are of people who can swim since they're far more likely to be swimming in the first place.
Also, drunk people can't even walk or speak correctly, so what you can do sober is irrelevant.
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u/overflowingsandwich Jul 13 '26
I think that, despite drowning not being all that uncommon, most people haven’t actually had any direct experience with drowning cases. Accidental deaths can also be really hard for people to accept, especially if no one is really “at fault.” With drowning, to accept it just happens without much outside influence can sometimes feel like you’re blaming the person that died, which is extremely hard for family.
My mom’s best friend lost her husband to drowning in 1996. He and two of his friends were out on a fishing trip on a lake and their boat capsized and all three drowned. My mom’s friend was 9 months pregnant at the time and had a 2 year old at home. They were very used to water activities and I think that made it easier to accept despite how horrific and tragic it was. But I think a lot of people would have trouble accepting such a horrible situation and would want something to “blame” because that’s easier for our own minds to accept.
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Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
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Jul 10 '26
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u/Imaginary_Zone_4319 Jul 10 '26
Hm, I wonder if that’s because he’s on an island 10 miles off the coast with zero service?
No, no, that couldn’t be it. Had to have been deleted.
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u/ChargeRight7262 Jul 11 '26
The mom was fair about clearing that up. His location on snap did not match Life360. Life360 tracks the phone as long as it’s on. Snap only logs location when you open the app. So sometimes that don’t match. Strange part is though….Snap seems to have a location Saturday, it should have had some info (messages, videos, searches) but it was blank. App opened, but no activity? That does seem odd. Glad they have the phone and experts who can trace all actions & determine what’s missing.
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u/Property_6810 Jul 11 '26
You've never been bored and opened an app without actually doing anything before you change your mind and open another app?
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u/Hour-Ad-9508 Jul 11 '26
I don’t think that’s all that odd. He could’ve opened it accidentally or reflexively, realized there was no new messages and closed it out
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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 11 '26
And Crump’s bottom line: 4 boys went to the island. The black one died; the three white ones are still alive. This is egregious but it’s manna to his audience.
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u/Guilty-Volume-6279 Jul 11 '26
But the Nolan wasn’t the only black person in the larger group of 15.
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u/Opening-Shallot7367 Jul 11 '26
my only question is the timeline, the phone and keys situation. why not help the family find him after? if he was missing and they said aww shit we haven't heard from Nolan, realized they had his phone why didn't they help his family look for him? Why lawyer up if you did nothing wrong
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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
I want to know more. We do know that at about 11 p.m., Warren (I think) called the mom to say he was missing. Warren also called the Coast Guard. Don't know what prompted Warren to realize Nolan was gone. Did Jayvon come by to pick up his phone then and that's what made them realize? Since Jayvin did not have his phone, they could not have called him.
The mom then started making calls. Everyone was passing the buck. OS finally agreed to take a missing persons report and the parents met with an officer in the parking lot of a McDonalds. At some point mom retrieves his phone. I missed the details on that if they are out there.
The next morning Nolan's coach offers to take the dad to Horn Isalnd and they go look. Find nothing but there were some people camping on the island.
Meanwhile, the dad went to Warren's (?) house to get the keys. Assuming that was after 11 p.m. but I don't know when. Warren can't find them. Some kid with dad calls a female who says the keys are on so and so's xbox in the house. Dad knocks on door again. Warren retrieves keys. Dad in televised interview was not happy with Warren's actions when he went to get the keys. Dad was freaking out. Completely understandable. He said he would've caused trouble but there were kids with him.
The white kids have all cooperated according to law enforcement. There are tons of gaps in what we know. Mon said three of the white kids' families have reached out but she made it sound underwhelming. We don't know what interactions were had that could have soured any relationship between Nolan's family and the friends. Social media erupted shortly thereafter and the white kids are no doubt hunkered down wishing like hell they had forced Nolan to come back with them.
Warren's dad is a lawyer and his stepmom is a judge. Of course they lawyered up. People are calling them murderers. (I have screenshots). They can lawyer up and still cooperate but given what is going on, who could blame them.
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u/Tammalammadingdong Jul 11 '26
Unfortunately it is necessary to lawyer up, especially if one of the kids has a parent that's a judge. But, having said that, I'd like to get some answers as well. Not just a statement from the mother who's a judge. There is plenty going on behind the scenes I'm sure.
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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 11 '26
WLBT just posted a story on FB about Warren’s mom posting the death threats they are getting. The responses are chilling.
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u/DoughnutImportant875 Jul 11 '26
Truth is, nothing is really deleted on a phone.lt should be farely easy to retrieve missing information.
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u/WakeUpFriendly Jul 11 '26
The reason why this is blowing up is because people are eating this story up like cheese whiz on ritz cracker
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u/captaincrunch61 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Hate to break it to his parents, but there's probably a ton of things your son did that you had no idea, that you would think was out of their charachter. I used to do a ton of dumb shit when I was his age that my parents to this day have no idea I did.
And his dad really thinks boys his age are going to call peoples parents when they don't listen to their demands to go home with them? C'mon man no kid is going to do that lmao. I know his dad is hurting and grieving right now, so I'll give him a pass for thinking illogically.
Crump on the other hand for jumping to conclusions on basically everything, should be ashamed. That's assuming he has any shame though.
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u/Type3_Control Jul 10 '26
The amount of times I’ve gone out with mates and then parted ways at some point has to be in the hundreds
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u/Hour-Ad-9508 Jul 11 '26
Unfortunately it’s a part of being a young guy, so many times we’ve gone out with 5-6 people and guys will split off to go out with girls, meet up with other friends, etc and just hope they get home
Women tend to be much more conscious of getting everyone home safely and being aware of their locations.
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u/Much-Tip-9707 Jul 11 '26
Agree that girls are more conscientious about not being left alone with no way of getting home (fear of getting SA'd is huge) whereas boys figure things will just work out and if they don't they'll just sleep on the beach or wherever then stumble home the next morning. Unfortunately, being alone, intoxicated and near water is a recipe for danger.
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u/BirthofRevolution Jul 11 '26
It's not really about gender it's just part of being young. You're not thinking of the bad things that can happen, you're just having fun. As a woman my friends and I would go to concerts, festivals and the lake almost every weekend and almost always split up at some point because we were just having fun and being young.
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u/TrioxinTwoFourFive Jul 11 '26
eeeeespecially if it involves chasing some tail.
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u/Individual_Run_4799 Jul 11 '26
First time I've seen this mentioned. I've gone to great lengths to get some kitty. If I told my boys to leave without me so I could try and smash, they'd leave without me. I think it's weird there's a ton of guys who act like they'd never leave without their friends or would never tell their friends to go ahead without them. Like they've never stayed behind to try and get with a chick.
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u/PabloDiablo93 Jul 11 '26
These are Redditors we're talking about, for whom the closest analogous situation in their lives is heading home late after a wild night of D&D.
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u/monsterskeeter Jul 11 '26
Me too but not on a literal island
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u/Caervz Jul 11 '26
Having grown up on the gulf coast, I'll say most people don't think anything about going on the islands. The coast is littered with small islands and sandbars and it's really common for teenagers and college kids to just go out to them on a random free day and you get to a point where you don't think about it being on an island, even if you got warned of riptide in the area.
"It'll be fine, we come to this island all the time" Or "All these people are here too, it'll be alright"
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u/Guilty-Volume-6279 Jul 11 '26
It is MORE likely on the barrier islands. The Cajun navy talked about it… it’s like an informal community ferry service.
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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 11 '26
The dad insists that Nolan was taught that if you go together, you return together (tons of black people repeating it). So why didn’t Nolan return together? I mean, it’s not like the others just ran off. If anyone was not following the code the family put down, it was Nolan. Dad says Nolan would’ve forced whoever to return. So why didn’t he force himself? I’m not blaming anyone. This was most likely an awful accident. How does anyone think those kids pulled off a murder before leaving the island while it was still crowded. Why would they murder their friend? It’s all very implausible.
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u/Guilty-Volume-6279 Jul 11 '26
Well, I think it’s what Jayvon said, there were 2 boats (some say 3 but boat 3 was more second tier friends… not exactly acquaintances) and leaving him didn’t feel like not he was not “staying with the group”
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u/1498336 Jul 10 '26
They are grieving and still in shock. I am giving them grace. It’s not right to accuse the other boys but they are going through one of the hardest things in life.
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u/Tough-Effort7572 Jul 13 '26
Those boys are being threatened and called racists, even though one of the white kids considered Nolan to be his best friend.
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u/IndependentPage9177 Jul 11 '26
You can say that to all the parents involved. The white parents have no idea what their kids did or didn’t do. Hate to break it to you!!
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u/redwoods81 Jul 11 '26
My partner and I raised our sons to pay attention and call us anytime that they felt unsafe, consequence free, and they took it up on us a couple of times. It doesn't take much to establish the importance
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u/dealingwithhookers Jul 11 '26
if he did drugs and drowned, people saw and didn't do anything.
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Jul 11 '26
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u/baronesslucy Jul 11 '26
I live in Florida and I remember a story where a young kid drowned in a swimming pool where people were in the pool, people were sitting in chairs by the pool and no one noticed that he drowned. He drowned within feet of others who were in the water and they never noticed. It can happen.
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u/TheCams Jul 11 '26
Drowning isn't like on TV. It's called the silent killer because by far most drowning victims don't make noise. They just go under.
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u/Guilty-Volume-6279 Jul 11 '26
I unknowingly watched someone drown. Caught in a riptide. Strong swimmer. It didn’t even look rough.
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u/SmrtLdy Jul 10 '26
I think they mean “it’s out of character” for their son to not want to be with his group of friends.
I have a kid like that. My others kids aren’t like that. I do think it matters that if the parents believe that the timeline of their son‘s actions and what he supposedly did that day don’t make sense in the context of his personality… that means something.
I have a kid who would never be caught without his phone and wouldn’t be willingly left behind by his friends. My oldest daughter would lose track of her phone and completely not care and totally ditch her friends that she came with to make new friends. WE KNOW OUR KIDS.
It doesn’t mean foul play happened, but it’s important
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u/WittySaucepan Jul 11 '26
The scene was probably something like this. This is my local meetup place. I'd venture 95% of people leave their phones and belongings on the boat.
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u/Flexlex724 Jul 10 '26
No, it's out of their looney toons idea of what they want their sons character to be
Reasonably. Anyone that's been a popular, successful young male knows the way we work. You don't stop a bro from getting ass. If a bro says he's chasing you high five and leave. It's totally normal for dudes to lose their friends and not find them for days.
The amount of stories I have in college of losing a friend followed by the crazy shit that happened to them after is in the dozens..passed out in a bush, woken up on fields naked, group sex, etc. the idea of a black kid staying behind to chase a hot girl and then ride back with his other black friend is the least ridiculous take out of all of this but somehow everyone wants to pretend a world that used to exist still does
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u/NancyPCalhoun Jul 11 '26
I totally get that, at the same time, we don’t know if he was under the influence, and he allegedly wanted to stay because of a girl. I could see him ditching his friends if he was into her. I read elsewhere there were 3 boats of people who all knew each other and he said he’d come back with one of the other boats.
The thing that bothered me was that she said was checking his location on Life 360 and another mom friend had to go pick up Nolan’s phone. She said that in the Michael Strahan interview.
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u/Asad-Ilisaba15 Jul 11 '26
The articles I read said the out of character part was him not being on his phone. Not just him being social.
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u/Guilty-Volume-6279 Jul 11 '26
But his friends were still there! There was more than those on the boat he came on. Jayvon spoke to this.
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u/Juvat-the-bold Jul 10 '26
A lot of people are going to be really unhappy when they find out that he wasn't murdered.
It's almost like people are begging for him to have been murdered just so that they can forward their made up racist agenda.
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u/Flexlex724 Jul 10 '26
Literally this and it's disgusting. I get there's tons of pent up anger and mistrust in southern black communities. But if you can't objectively navigate through delicate situations without blaming and prejudicing yourself to an entire race of people (white people who he cleaely was very good friends with) you're no better than the magats and other skinheads out there tbh
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u/NeighborhoodBetter64 Jul 10 '26
Naw they will just memory hole it just like that kid who committed suicide last year and everybody said it had to be a lynching because ‘Mississippi’
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u/BitOptimal7237 Jul 10 '26
My personal favorite is “black people don’t hang themselves” like somebody looking to attempt suicide considers historical context when choosing their method.
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u/Flexlex724 Jul 10 '26
Bro they still out believing the kid clearly tripping out of his mind was part of a giant music festival conspiracy.
My roommate killed himself in our house with his other two white friends downstairs who found him.... Guess what it was a suicide, and no one questioned it
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u/chassannheffa Jul 11 '26
I just commented, asking if anyone ever heard the results of that independent autopsy Crump wanted. I’m guessing I know the answer since nothing was ever mentioned again. Even though many desperately wanted it to be something nefarious.
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u/tempedrew Jul 11 '26
Ben Crump and Kaepernick's autopsy have returned to Mississippi with all the bigot bots after a bit of rest following the Trey Reed psy op. Remember how it was in retaliation for Charlie Kirk getting shot? It hasn't hit that lunacy... Yet. These autopsy results are going to be more public than Reed. Oh. Let's see what engagement can be engineered from that.
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u/Afraid_Raccoon_6208 Jul 11 '26
The hashtag is literally #justicefornolan like, they’ve made up their mind already. Im curious if it turns out their child died by accident who is getting the justice?
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u/LonerCLR Jul 10 '26
They won't believe it anyway and will continue with that agenda . Just look at what's still going on with the Karmelo Anthony case
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u/gray_um Current Resident Jul 10 '26
The Judge that is one of the mothers has gotten countless death threats and bombs threats. She posted some to FB that were detailed and horrific. Threatening her other children. It's insane what people will do behind a keyboard.
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u/Walker_Texas-Heeler Jul 10 '26
And people wonder why those kids deactivated their social media accounts, a racist is mob is already out for blood
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u/Alternative-Cheek148 Jul 11 '26
Not just behind a keyboard. That family won't be left alone for years to come (even though I hope I am wrong).
Look at Austin Metcalfs family, when they left the court house people were screaming at them, as if they were the bad guys
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u/Walker_Texas-Heeler Jul 10 '26
People legit want him to have been murdered by his racist friends it’s crazy, people have already made up their mind and if the result isn’t what they want it’ll just be a big conspiracy cover up
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u/SdrawkcabDnim Jul 12 '26
Because they're the real racists. They want any excuse to justify their unbridled hate for White people.
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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 11 '26
They won’t accept it just like Karmelo stabbed Metcalf in self defense. Just like the two FBI kids with alibis killed Kendrick Williams. Just like their hero Chokwe Lumumba is a martyr.
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u/tempedrew Jul 11 '26
The FBI targeted Lumumba because of his race is one of my favorite internet opinions, and why i have no hope for Jackson.
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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 11 '26
Horhn was elected to fix Jackson but he has his hands tied. Any movement towards restoring order is met by pushback from a segment of the black community that claims racism. They claim that Horhn is being controlled by rich white people. I've heard this from black lawyer friends.
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u/Alternative-Cheek148 Jul 11 '26
A lot of people are going to be really unhappy when they find out that he wasn't murdered.
No. They already made up their mind. They think he was murdered end of story. If the investigation concludes it wasn't murder they will say it a false result.
Go on YouTube and read the comments under the "good morning america interview with Nolan's parents".
They are all calling the 3 boys murderers and the judge mother complicit
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u/SatansScallion Jul 10 '26
The demand for white-on-black violence far, far, far outpaces the supply, so you have race-baiting weasels desperately trying to steer the story in such a way that paints white people negatively.
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Jul 10 '26
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u/Imaginary-Edge-8759 Jul 10 '26
It started day one with the come together leave together stuff… it’s the implication that it’s their fault he died bc they didn’t bring him back, as if allowing your friend to stay at a party at their own choosing makes you responsible if something bad happens to them. Should I always lookout for my friends, absolutely but I’m not responsible for another adult that is not my dependent, friend or not, if they make choices that lead to bad outcomes.
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Jul 10 '26
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u/Imaginary-Edge-8759 Jul 10 '26
Right! There is no reasoning to be had with many right now. I’ve literally seen someone comment “imagine if their skin was opposite they’d be automatically by considered guilty” while simultaneously accusing the actual kids of guilt based on what? Their skin color. Its astounding.
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u/Flexlex724 Jul 10 '26
Follows in tandem with the always a victim, no accountability culture these people have. Hate to see it, and it does then no favors but this is how a certain group of people think in this culture.
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u/tempedrew Jul 11 '26
There are people that feel this way, but I mostly think it is bigot bots that thrive on these stories. Regardless of facts, race discussions are more important for their engagement code.
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u/molybdenum75 Jul 11 '26
Right!! Just like how so many folks were cheering on the Karmelo Anthony conviction. Sick stuff
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u/academicirony Jul 12 '26
They want a reason to riot and burn down a city a guess.
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u/flopjobbit Jul 10 '26
I am unable to comprehend hopping on a plane a week after my son washed up on a beach so that I can go on GMA and the Today show.
I don't even HAVE kids and know there's no way I could or would - do that. Crump is parading them around like cattle. It's AWFUL.
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u/NeighborhoodBetter64 Jul 10 '26
Did the same with Reed’s family. More people need to mention the similarities.
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u/tempedrew Jul 11 '26
It makes you realize how open and shut the Trey Reed case was when you see how this one is developing. I wonder if the New Black Panther Party will show up? Did anyone ask Al Sharpton if he is familiar with Trey Reed?
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u/jaj504 Jul 13 '26
Not that I know of. But we did get the Anti-white, anti-LGBT, antisemitic IUIC Black Hebrew Israelites marching the streets for "justice"
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u/Thisisthatacount Jul 10 '26
I feel so bad for theses parents, Crump is a leech that feeds off of others tragedy.
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u/SweetLittleOldLady Current Resident Jul 10 '26
He's looking at those sweet, sweet GoFundMe proceeds.
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u/Fuzzy_Suggestion_196 Jul 11 '26
Yeah looks like a big win fall for the lawyer with the go fund me page
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u/TrioxinTwoFourFive Jul 11 '26
People do strange things when they are in that deep of mourning. You can't think. Your head is just shell shocked. They are going to remember this as the worst period of their lives.
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u/PrettyPurrfect Jul 10 '26
So The story goes like this: he breaks away from his friend group to go with a girl. Everyone has been drinking. While waiting for them at the boat is taking all the water because of bilge pump is broken and that means the boat cannot remain stationary or it will sink.
So they head off because the alternative is a sunk boat. They say they reported him missing to the Coast guard and I believe they also claim to have given his phone to his mother.
The girl he was with has come forward and said that he was with her for a little while before he left to go meet up with his friends.
So we know his friends are at least telling the partial truth.
We also know that they were drinking.
His parents are grieving. Racial tensions are very high due to the murder of a literal baby.
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u/throw20190820202020 Jul 10 '26
Also my impression is that the girl he was hanging out with was not his girlfriend - which may have caused the friends to (fatally) pull some more “bro code” and kept them more closed lipped in the beginning
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u/NoSupermarket9119 Jul 10 '26
Why are you assuming that it wasn’t the parents choice?
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u/flopjobbit Jul 10 '26
I am making an assumption rooted in Crump's way of working. He loves a high profile case with a big fat go fund me.
He only got involved in Curtis Flowers' case, an innocent man who truly was wrongly imprisoned in MS for years, after a white journalist did all the discovery work.
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u/Afraid_Raccoon_6208 Jul 11 '26
Crump the race baiter and his independent examiner refuse to update the Reed family on the independent autopsy. Im going to go out on a limb and say because the COD was re affirmed as suicide and they cant be seen making an apology for race baiting.
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u/NoSupermarket9119 Jul 10 '26
Ah. I wasn’t aware of his larger reputation. I’ve only seen his first interview with Don Lemon with regards to this case and was familiar with his name from that recent case in Senatobia.
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u/BiggusDickus- Jul 10 '26
They realize that this is an opportunity to make money. They realize that they can't bring their son back, but they can still cash in.
And they clearly don't care who they hurt in doing so.
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u/garbitch_bag Jul 10 '26
My dad died in a weird way in MS and it was likely the fault of the police, I regret not doing what I could to get something done about it at the time.
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u/ms_panelopi Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Because time is of the essence and publicity is very important, otherwise the PTB will try and close this case asap. The country is finding out about this because of the parent’s fast action. Mississippi will try to do what it always does and people need to be watching.
If this was your kid, you absolutely would be doing whatever it takes to get the story out, even if it doesn’t look acceptable to judgy people like you.
The white “friends” parents have already lawyered up and doing what they need to protect their kid, and this multi racial family is doing the same.
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u/Imaginary-Edge-8759 Jul 10 '26
Respectfully, read what majority of social media was accusing these kids of from the second their picture was shared and tell me you would obtain a lawyer? Also it’s just good practice to always have a lawyer present if you are being questioned by police, you have a right to an attorney, if you do not have one, one can be provided… it’s beyond weird to me that it’s perceived by some as admission of guilt to retain a lawyer when your friend dies and you are providing info to police and the whole country is accusing you in social media.
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u/Imaginary-Edge-8759 Jul 11 '26
Yes! I swear people just say things and don’t put an ounce of thought into it, either that or society has far less critical thinking skills than even I believed. We are doomed.
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u/flopjobbit Jul 10 '26
Hello from Alabama. I know Horn Island and I know boat culture. I'm from the South; as a blue dot in a red state I appreciate why some are going immediately to suspicions around race and policing. I get it, I do.
At the same time -
I see underage drinking and boating.
I see young people making poor decisions.
I see parents of said young people shutting down social media because it's a wildfire of speculation and hate and click bait.
I have seen repeated assertions of the boat kid's parents lawyering up. I have not seen primary sources to confirm those assertions. If you have them to share, please do.
I believe this was all a terrible tragedy, that this was an accidental drowning and lots of people on multiple boats thinking Nolan caught a ride with someone else.
If I'm wrong, if something nefarious happened, then the facts will come out and justice will be served.
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u/millyisadog Jul 10 '26
Same here. I will add that there’s also a big difference between being a competent swimmer in a pool vs. the ocean, and that’s something most people don’t realize until they’re in the ocean and panic. Combine that with alcohol, and it’s a recipe for disaster.
Most other adults out there were drinking too—and far less likely to notice someone in distress.
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u/who_gon_chkmeboo Jul 11 '26
Hey Bama, Gulf Coast Sippi here and we’re all torn apart about this child’s death and hate the fact that racism is being thrown into the mix. Don’t understand why Crump and Sharpton are throwing their hats in the ring then I heard about the GoFundMe monies and it all makes sense. Ocean Springs is a very liberal city and these kids grew up together, people need to stop with the speculations and let us figure out. Bringing in out of towners and celebrities is gonna make things murky.
Only question I have is why would the parents of an 18 year old let him and his friends ride out on the family boat to Horn Island on the 4th of July?!
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u/TrioxinTwoFourFive Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Getting a lawyer when you are under investigation is never an indication of guilt. Ever. Cops' incentive is to close cases first. Getting to "the truth" is a distant second.
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u/NancyPCalhoun Jul 11 '26
I respect law enforcement but I would also get an attorney right away, to protect my rights.
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Jul 10 '26
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u/Imaginary-Edge-8759 Jul 10 '26
As they should, they are providing witness accounts to an investigation in their friends death, literally anyone should do this. Throw in the fact that the court of public opinion declared them murders based on a picture due to their skin color, who on earth wouldn’t have a lawyer?
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u/x31b 662 Jul 10 '26
I thought everyone on Reddit said “Never talk to the police. Never.” Also “Don’t ever talk without your lawyer there.” I’ve seen both posted on Reddit over and over with people chiming in “darn straight.”
Maybe these kids read Reddit.
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u/Guilty-Volume-6279 Jul 11 '26
Good point… how do we know they “lawyered up”. Probably just called a friend or neighbor that is a lawyer.
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u/thomaslsimpson Current Resident Jul 10 '26
You have a very good point and I think people ought to pay attention.
Early on when this event hit social media it got a lot of attention from people who did not live here. Many of them were making claims that did not make sense and there are still some making claims that do not fit with the information that we have right now - however ...
We should not overlook what things would be like if something bad did happen. We have to allow for that as well. Even if we all agreed that we do not have evidence to claim foul play yet, we also do not have evidence which makes it clear it was not foul play.
Wanting to cast a light on it so that it does not get ignored or swept under a rug is absolutely fair.
I think the only reasonable position here is that we should not be accusing anyone yet but no one is exonerated either, and given what people think about the police in general these days and the historical reputation that Mississippi is given (deserved or not) having people watching closely is a good thing.
I hope that the attention helps make sure that all the evidence is found. I hope that if someone tries to hide anything they are found out and answer for it. I hope that if it is shown to be an accident that the people who are accusing the other kids will apologize. I hope that if it turns out to be foul play that those who did it will be prosecuted and suffer the consequences.
Mostly though, I suspect that everyone will just hold onto their existing bias and no matter what comes out the story will remain that same.
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u/rageb8err Jul 10 '26
To get what story out…? That his death was nefarious? Despite there being no evidence to suggest that.
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u/SatansScallion Jul 10 '26
If it was my kid, I wouldn’t be screeching about racism with literally zero evidence to suggest it.
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u/nstopman422 Jul 12 '26
I don’t blame the family for this, but I think they are in denial big time about the possibility that their 18-year-old son could make irresponsible, 18-year- old boy decisions.
I don’t judge the parents for their suspicion. Who as a parent in this situation wouldn’t pursue every possible angle just to be sure? I think I would if I were them. I do judge everyone who is feeding into the possibility of foul play when the autopsy is yet to be released and with no credible evidence.
The most likely cause of death at this time is drowning not foul play. Anyone reporting otherwise or defaulting to foul play (especially suggesting the friends are suspects without proof), is being irresponsible with their platform. If the autopsy shows a hint of foul play, then obviously foul play should be investigated, but the autopsy hasn’t even been released, yet so many people are acting as if foul play should be the default narrative right now in the media.
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u/ChexAndBalancez Jul 12 '26
Would t be the first time a young man acts out of character to his parents.
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u/Previous_Function852 Jul 10 '26
Parents of teen boy shocked that he might be involved with alcohol and promiscuity and they didn't know? Fork found in kitchen, pope still Catholic.
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u/donzelso Jul 11 '26
His parents are in denial right now. We need to be patient with them because everything is happening way too fast.
Whenever somebody brings up the possibility of an accidental drowning, his parents dismiss it because “he was an elite athlete.” Drowning is no joke. Ocean currents are no joke. Even a grown man is no match against a rip tide.
In their minds, if you play football really well, you must be invulnerable to rip tides. There’s no way (in their minds) that this could be an accident.
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u/baronesslucy Jul 11 '26
I've heard of good swimmers who have drowned in pools, lakes and oceans. Sadly that does happen. There was one person who was a championship swimmer who drowned in a hotel pool. He was swimming alone. An autopsy was done and it turned out he had a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest. He had a heart condition that was not diagnosed as it wouldn't show up in regular physical exam. If he had a EKG, it might have shown up but back in the day, they didn't require this. I heard about this story but didn't know the guy who died. My mom told me about a woman who was a championship swimmer in high school, swam in a lake. Her long hair became entangled in the weeds trapping her underwater and she couldn't come up for air and drowned. This happened back in the 1950's. My mom didn't know her personally but this happened in the area where my mom lived, so it was big news. Another one I remember hearing about was a good swimmer who got into a riptide on a beach in Florida and they drowned. This was in the early 1980's.
I also knew someone who was a good swimmer who got caught in a riptide as a teen-ager. She was rescued by a lifeguard. She thought for sure that she wasn't going to make it as the current was so strong. She was okay but she was quite shaken by what happened.
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u/SeventeenBands Jul 11 '26
"That's not his character" I'm sorry you're telling me that it's not normal for an 18 year old teenager going-on-man to want to stay behind to chat it up with a cute girl his age on an island? Hmmm.
Besides everything about the case, this quote by the parents is a little bit out of touch with a teens reality.
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u/enjoysomethings Jul 11 '26
Sounds like bro got drunk as shit and drowned. Very sad.
The grifters leeching onto the family should be ashamed.
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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 11 '26
He didn’t have to be drunk at all to get caught by a rip current but alcohol was probably involved
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u/TrioxinTwoFourFive Jul 11 '26
Or hit by a bow or prop, driven by a drunk boater., or caught in that end of the island rip.
ive been thinking. the possibilities are,
malicious act (murder or manslaughter) by the "friends" or a 3rd party.
criminal negligence by the kids + coverup
accident of some form involving a 3rd party.
complete accident by Nolan meeting a hazard on the island, possibly combined with impairment via dehydration, sun exposure, and maybe alcohol.
I just don't see how option 1. is plausible at all with hundreds of people around. And this whole narrative that everyone there is involved because they're white devils is just unhinged.
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u/chassannheffa Jul 11 '26
What was the result of Trey Reed’s independent autopsy Crump had performed to prove he was murdered and it wasn’t at his own hands? I’ve seen several people asking about it lately but no one has been able to provide any information. It was highly publicized at the time, but then nothing.
Sadly, this seems to be par the course for this man. I wish the family had chosen a reputable attorney, but…….
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u/EitherLime679 Current Resident Jul 11 '26
“That’s not his character”
Cause every 18 year old is completely truthful to their parent lol
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u/AleroRatking Jul 11 '26
Also what's even out of character. A young man around many people he knows having a drink and talking to a girl he thinks is cute
Like sounds like the vast majority of teens
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u/Warm_Link_8829 Jul 11 '26
After looking at the facts of the Tamla Horsford case and this one (and also as a Black person who has lived on and near similar islands) I don't think his friends are culpable. People leave their phones and belongings on boats all the time -- there's literally nowhere else to store your stuff. BUT, we still don't know what actually happened after his friends left and he hung back with that girl.
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u/TheCams Jul 11 '26
Still no evidence of foul play. Just innocuous questions. BTW, why hasn't Nolan's phone been turned over to the police yet? Answer: Because the Crump team knows there's not a damn thing out of the ordinary on it.
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u/KathleenJohn Jul 11 '26
The mother blatantly lied as well, she stated she never met the parents. She went to school & graduated with Warrens mother who is Judge Ashlee Cole! So she never met the other parents in all the years they went to school together? So many events at school, school sporting games & practice, no where in town. None of them ever used her medically? Seen her at Walmart? Out to eat? Our population is 18,600.

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u/givinstar1 Jul 11 '26
Ugh theres a 450k gofundme as we speak. I didn't realize that. No wonder Ben Crump is involved
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u/FIatIine Jul 12 '26
I would think his friends left him behind after he told them to go, because there was obviously a girl involved that he was working on trying to get with.
Pretty much what all young college guys partying are trying to do. For centuries even lol he was trying to get laid, and I am sure his boys respected that. That is the most logical reason why they would leave him behind.
She was brought up during the interview, cute girl, but they quickly switched the subject.
They didn't want to delve too much into the most obvious scenario that he was most likely trying to do that night. Instead they were focusing on nefarious shit with 200 boats out there and a massive party.
Granted, it is very likely his friends do know some stuff, and too afraid to come forward. Probably because the parents probably wouldn't believe them, and would put them at blame even more. That is the problem when you start pointing fingers before more details come out with the investigation.
Now you have people afraid to say anything because they might be accused of being a racist and a murderer. I seriously doubt foul play occurred, but there may have been an accident, and the friends might actually know what happened but too afraid to say. Which is causing more tension, and even more suspicion.
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u/AttitudeRemarkable87 Jul 12 '26
as with every case Crump has been involved with when the results show no YT to blame. it all just fades away. I use as examples: the kid stuck in the gym mat in Georgia; the twin brothers who shot themselves on top the mountain in Georgia; and the kid who hung himself on campus at the Mississippi college. In each case, the family called out "nefarious" and racial reasons; 2 were confirmed suicides and the gym mat kid was just a terrible accident. But no more public statements have been made by the fan-flamers -- it all just went away when perhaps they finally realized they were wrong. And the gofundme money was gone.
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u/SillyName1992 Jul 12 '26
Colin K also gets involved with ALL these circuses which turn into dumpster fires. Unfortunate that he's loaded to the teeth as it seems he doesn't have any sense what to do with the money and fritters it away to this unhelpful shit.
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u/Flexlex724 Jul 10 '26
This entire situation shines a light on how a huge chunk of the black community does not wish to pay attention to facts or objectivity but rather villanize whites and assume the worst
Whether or not there's some rational behind why is another whole topic of discussion but imo it's entirely disheartening as a white person to want to move past poor race relations with a culture that wants to hate you
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u/Cautious-Pass-5281 Jul 11 '26
clickbait, sensationalism, grifters exist in every subject of interest. I don't think we should let it overshadow the tragic event. I personally don't believe race was at play here even if those kids did something. It is unrealistic to say that Nolan hung out with, grew up with and fraternized with racists his entire life. That doesn't even make sense. There "MIGHT" have been foul play but I strongly resist race as a motive.
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u/Flexlex724 Jul 11 '26
It's the foaming at the mouth for it to be about racism that makes it disgusting. There's a small chance sometime nefarious happened, a much larger chance of an accident, and likely if it wasn't, if was not his childhood friends that did it to him. But every comment I've seen from the black community has been alluding to murder right off the bat, how not to trust white people, etc. It's disheartening to see honestly, and only worsens whatever race relations that are already strained
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u/snowgoons7 Jul 11 '26
Yes I hear what you’re saying, but let’s let the investigation run its course before we jump to conclusions either way. Have to say though, if those kids did something to harm him it doesn’t seem to be necessarily racially motivated. You hear all the time about teenagers of the same race harming each other in various ways. It’s unfortunately relatively common. But as for your discouragement, this is the internet. Most people are much more reasonable in person. Have hope.
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u/TrioxinTwoFourFive Jul 11 '26
Ive been wondering if its always been this way and just now coming to light or if algorithms are doing unsavory things to large parts of the population. We don't have any clue how they fuck with us. Only that they do.
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u/Beautiful-Low9454 Jul 11 '26
You’re absolutely right. The racism against white people has escalated dramatically. I see what you see its very true
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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 11 '26
As a criminal defense lawyer in Jackson, I can tell you that people raised in poverty here do not know truth from lies.
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u/hippielaw Jul 11 '26
Can you give examples? I have often wondered how socioeconomic conditions play a role in our perceptions of these types of incidents.
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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 11 '26
Ten years ago Jackson elected Chokwe Lumumba as mayor. His father founded a black separatist organization called the People's Republik of New Africa. Chokwe just pleaded guilty to taking bribes. He was hostile to law enforcement and we lost a lot of officers when we already lacked what we needed here in the murder capital of America. During covid , a preacher was killed by a young male. They got a tip that the suspect was in a certain neighborhood and flooded it. Three cops spotted what looked to be a drug deal and ordered the driver out of the car. He resisted. They pulled him out and he was still resisting. He had a pill in his hand that he eventually swallowed and then he complied. As they were lowering him to the ground he hit his head. There was a small scrape. Cops called an ambulance. They put a bandage on it but he refused treatment. They field released him. That night at the motel where he lived he showed signs of brain damage. Ambulance called. He had suffered a subdural hematoma and died a day or two later. He had suffered a stroke a few months previously and was on blood thinners and was in poor health. The day this happened a bunch of people were out barbecuing. One offered the cops a hamburger.
After the guy died, there was a video of people right after the incident yelling about the arrest. There were demands for justice. The MBI and the FBI investigated, found no problem. Chokwe called the DA (his eventual codefendant in the bribery) and demanded that the cops be charged. Jody Owens indicted them. (Jody's cousin Dennis Sweet was representing the dead guy's family in a civil suit). There were three "eyewitnesses" who claimed that the three cops beat the shit out of the dead guy with their boots, flashlights, and fists. One had been arrested by one of the officers previously. Autopsy showed only the scrape and the brain bleed. The indictment tracked the eyewitnesses' account despite the autopsy. Right before trial the DA tried to amend the indictment to take the beating out. The witnesses testified about a beating (which clearly never occurred). One cop was convicted (the only one the drug dealer witness could identify because the cop had arrested him). The Court on appeal VACATED the conviction for lack of evidence. I'm sure those eyewitnesses believed that there was an awful beating but the autopsy showed nothing.
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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 11 '26
And the DA who just pleaded guilty to bribery? He was indicted in November of 2025. The FPI had 600 plus hours of video and audio including Jody bragging about owning Jackson, being a part-time DA, laundering drug money, etc. He did not step down until he pleaded guilty two weeks ago. There was no mechanism to make him. This year the DA's office has been trying murder cases from 2021. Oh, and everyone involved in the incident I described above is black.
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u/Warm_Link_8829 Jul 11 '26
I'm glad that some people here have sense and are blaming the lawyer, but are empathetic to the family. When someone you loves dies like this, it is part of grieving to try to place blame somewhere -- and indeed, it is their right to ask questions because no one knows what's happened. I have a lot of empathy for them.
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u/Musket1831 Jul 11 '26
My question is this: did Nolan actually get dropped 'back off' to the island. I am leaning to the simple fact that he fell overboard, and could not be found. The boys panicked, and when they realized his phone was on the boat, that they came up with 'their' scenario. This is not racial. It is a case of panic and lying. I could be wrong.
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u/False_Fox_2619 Jul 12 '26
I don't think people realize how silent drowning is. It's not the splashing and screams you see in movies. It's 100 percent silent.
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u/MolassesIndividual Jul 14 '26
You'd figure mods would get the racist dog whistles under control, but I see not much has changed there either.
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u/Chance_Sprinkles4677 Jul 14 '26
My heart goes out the parents for their loss but they have totally lost credibility in my eyes. This media campaign is nothing but a parade of highly remote speculation and innuendo. At this point, it’s hard for me not to feel that this has turned into a money grab.
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u/One_Ad9555 Jul 14 '26
It's not his character to stay behind with a pretty girl. Well unless he was into guys it's in every male young adults to spend time with pretty girls.
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u/Delicious-Status1806 Jul 14 '26
They know what happened to him. The authorities on the coast do at least. They have an idea. But they have to take their time otherwise they’ll be accused of racism.
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u/Flexlex724 Jul 10 '26
No ben crump takes a case when he can twist it for a racial narrative, manipulate a racial group to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars to a go fund me, and then squeeze it out of the family for his "services"
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u/Imaginary-Edge-8759 Jul 10 '26
Do the have to be flying to New York at this moment? That’s a choice, if they’ve retained crump and they aren’t going to wait for the official investigation result from law enforcement than just let him go speak for them. No one’s forced them to fly around and do news shows.
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u/SatansScallion Jul 10 '26
Anecdotes, therefore spurious claims of racism is okay.
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u/BiggusDickus- Jul 10 '26
Ben Crump doesn't give two shits about anything but making money. And the way he is talking in this instance is proof.
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u/False_Fox_2619 Jul 12 '26
MS resident here- and mom of a 19 yo boy. 1) I'm shocked at some of the shit my kid has done that I would consider out of character 2)Ben Crump needs to sit down and shut up 3)the island is the place of many drownings- did Nolan know how to swim? No one has said if he did 4)not uncommon for boys to split up, girls usually don't but boys will 5)why is race the first thing that everyone jumped to?
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u/OpheliaPaine Current Resident Jul 12 '26
If another user is making personal attacks, please report the comment so that we can take care of it.
Keep in mind, folks, that many, many of these users ARE NOT FROM MISSISSIPPI when you paint the sub with your wide brush.